Work-holding vise



8, 1939 s. A. HUFFMAN 7 WORK-HOLDING VISE.

Filed April 1, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 IIIIMIIMIMII lNVENTOR g- 1939 s. A. HUFFMAN ,772

WORK-HOLDING VISE Filed April 1, 1937 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 U" a? N u) a U iMq- Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WORK-HOLDING VISE Application April 1, 1937, Serial No. 134,339

Claims.

My invention pertains to quick-acting Vises, such as are employed where work-pieces are to be rapidly clamped inpla'ce for a machine operation and rapidly released after such operation has been completed. An instance of the use of such a vise (as described, for instance, in- Patent No. 986,485, granted to Miller Saw-Trimmer Company) occurs in connection with machines for sawing off the ends oflinotype slugs, in the use of which machines the operator is required. to clamp a batch of the slugs in the machine, perform the sawing operation, and then release them. It is an important object of my invention to produce a vise of this general character which will be an improvement upon the numerous Vises of this sort heretofore produced in the matters of rigidly holding the work-pieces and ease and quickness of operation. It'is a further object of my invention to produce a vise which will have the foregoing advantages, and which will nevertheless be exceptionally economical of manufacture and rugged in withstanding wear and the abuses to which such'devices are liable to be subjected in use. Further objects of the invention, and advantages secured thereby, Will appear from the following specification and the claims annexed thereto.

I have shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, and described in the. following specification, one form of quick-acting vise in which my invention may be embodied. vIt is to be understood, however, that the invention may be embodied in other forms, and that changes may be made in the particular form described and shown, without exceeding the scope thereof; as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan showing, in general, a machine for sawing linotype slugs, having applied thereto a vise constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the complete vise;

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are side views of parts of the vise separated from one another, Fig. 3 showing the guide bar, Fig. 4- the base, and Fig. 5 the slide and associated vise-jaw;

Figs. 6 and 7 are end views of the slide and base, as seen from the lines VI-VI and VIIVII respectively;

Figs. 8 and 9 are sections on the line VIII-'- VIII and IX--I X of Fig. 5 respectively;

Fig. 10 is an end view of the slide and vise- .jaw, as seen from theline X-X of Fig. 5, but

with the engaging member swung upward out of operative position;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged side view of the slide, showing the clutch device, for clamping the slide to the guide bar, in its operative position; and

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the clutch device out of operative position.

Referring to the drawings, I0 designates the sliding table of a machine for operating upon type slugs, for instance, by sawing off the ends thereof to a required length. Upon such table is supported a side gage I I upon which is adjustably mounted an end gage I2. The type slugs, designated, s, are placed on edge upon the table, with the side of one of the slugs against the side gage II,: and with the ends against the end gage I2. The slugs are locked in this position, by means ofa quick-acting vise such as that to be hereinafter described, and then the sliding table is moved forward to carry the slugs past the saw I3, which. cuts off the ends of the slugs, and planes the cut surfaces, in a manner that is well understood in the art.

The vise of my invention comprises a base I4 which carries all the vise parts and which is. adapted to be removably secured to the saw-table II] in any desired manner, as, for instance, in the way described in the above named Patent No. 986,485. The upper face of the base (Fig. 4) is machined to form an elongated slideway I5-. terminating at one end in a shoulder I6. At the end of the base opposite the shoulder I6 there is formed a barrel H for receiving a spiral spring I8 operating upon a plunger I 9 (Fig. 3) the spring being secured in the barrel, and, if desired, adjusted as to the pressure exerted, by means of a screw threaded into the end of the barrel. The base is further formed with machined slots 2| for receiving guide blocks secured to the under part of the guide-bar now to be described.

The guide-bar 22 (Figs. 3 and 6) is channelshaped and of a length somewhat less than the distance between the shoulder It and the inner end of the barrel ll of the base I4. It is adapted to move lengthwise upon the slideway I5 of the base, and is secured in position on the latter by means of the guide blocks, 23, above referred to,

which slideably engage in the slots 2| of the base. The guide blocks are provided with flanges 24 for engaging the under side of the base and preventing the removal of the guide bar from the latter. The spring-pressed plunger I9, above described, engages the end of the guide-bar and normally forces it against the shoulder I6 of the base, as shown in Fig. 3.

The slide block 25 (Figs. 2, 5, and 9) is adapted to engage, and move longitudinally upon, the guide-bar 22. It is formed with a pair of separated overhanging brackets 26 and 21 having inwardly extending flanges, 28 and 29 respectively, adapted to engage in the channel of the guide-bar. The slide block is formed with raised overhanging portions 30 at its ends beneath which is secured, by rivets or the like, the hori-- zontal wing 3| of an L-shaped vise-jaw 32, this wing being apertured, at its middle part, to receive the slide 25 in such manner that the lower face of the slide forms. a continuation of the lower face of the wing and slides upon the guide bar. The vertical wing 33 of the vise-jaw extends downward beside the guide-bar and base, reaching close to the surface of the saw-table Ill. From the foregoing it may be seen that the slide block and vise-jaw form a unit which is reciprocable upon the guide-bar and is secured against removal from the latter except by endwise movement in a forward direction. To prevent such removal by endwise movement, a rivet 34 is fastened in the rear end of the jaw. This rivet, by engaging the end of the guide bar, prevents removal of the slide and jaw in a forward direction. Engagement of the slide against the barrel H on the base prevents removal in a rearward direction. In the operation of the vise, the slide block is sometimes locked and sometimes released with respect to the guide bar, and to that end the slide block is provided with clutch devices now to be described.

A lever 35 is pivoted, by means of a screw 36 or the like, to the slide block. One arm of the lever constitutes a socket 31 for receiving a handle 38 by means of which. the vise is operated, such socket being formed with a lug 39 which is adapted to engage a corresponding lug 48 on the slide block when the handle is depressed. The other arm, 4|, of the lever is connected with .a link 42 pivoted to a clutch-slide 43 disposed in clutch-slide is formed with a recess 44 having an upwardly and forwardly inclined bottom wall 45. A clutch roller 46 is disposed in this recess .andis confined therein by the top wall of the channel of the guide-bar. A spring-pressed pin 41 is mounted in the clutch-slide to engage the roller 46 andpress it forwardly, the dimensions of the recess 44 being such that the roller cannot' escape in a forward direction, although the slope of the wall 45 allows the roller to move downward, away from the guide-bar wall, when the roller is atthe rear of the recess. When the roller is forced forwardly in the recess, up the inclined surface 45, it'will force the clutch-slide against the lower flange of the guide-bar by a wedging action and lock it relative thereto.

The flange 28 of the slide bracket 26 is provided with a spring-pressed pin 48 which engages the rear end of the clutch-slide 43, tending to force the latter towards the flange 29 of the slide bracket 21, which latter is formed with a forwardly extending projection 49 adapted to enter the recess 44 of the clutch-slide and engage the roller 46.

When the operating handle 38 is allowed to rise (Fig. 12) the spring-pressed pin 48 forces the clutch-slide forward until it is brought up by the engagement of the roller 46 with the provjection 49, the roller being thereby forced to the rear end of the recess 44, since the spring acting upon the pin 48 is stronger than the spring acting upon the pin 41. With the parts in this position there is no locking of the clutch-slide to the guide-bar, and the slide 25 and vise-jaw can readily be moved longitudinally upon the guidebar. When the operating handle 38 is depressed (Fig. 11) the clutch-slide 43 is forced rearward against the spring-pressed pin 48. The clutchslide 43 and projection 49 thus separate leaving pin 41 free to force the roller forward in the recess 44, so as to lock the clutch-slide, and therefore the main slide block 25 and vise-jaw, against movement in a rearward direction (that is, to the left in Fig. 11) with respect to the guide-bar. The lever arm 4| and link 42 are of such dimensions, and so positioned, that the pivot pin which connects them passes beyond a dead center when the handle is depressed. Thus the handle is maintained in the depressed condition until it is manually raised.

The operation is as follows: When the vise is out of use the operating handle 38 will ordinarily be in the raised position shown in Fig. 12. In these circumstances the clutch roller is held out of operation, as above described, and the slide 25 and vise-jaw can readily be slid forward and backward upon the guide-bar. The latter is held in engagement with the shoulder l6 of the base by means of the spring [8. When some typeslugs are to be sawed, they are placed upon the saw-table ll] against the side gage H and end gage I2. The slide 25 and vise-jaw are then pulled forward, by means of the handle 38, until the end of the jaw engages the slugs, the handle being held in a raised position while being pulled forward. When the end of the jaw has been brought into engagement with the slugs, the handle is moved downward into the position shown in Fig. 11. The effect of the first part of this downward movement of the handle is that the clutch-slide 43 is moved a little to the left from the position shown in Fig, 12. This releases the clutch roller; so that the clutch-slide can move no further to the left with respect to the guidebar. The guide-bar is secured in stationary position, against the shoulder l6 of the base, unless and until the pressure of the spring I8 is overcome. Thus further downward movement of the handle through the action of the link 42 and lever arm 4|, tends to move the slide block 25 and vise-jaw forward towards the slugs. However, since the end of the vise-jaw is already in engagement with the slugs, the slide and jaw cannot be moved further forward to any material extent. Therefore, the guide-bar is forced to move rearwardly, compressing the spring l8. This pressure is applied to the slugs, through the vise-jaw, to hold them firmly in position against side gage The holding pressure applied by the m'se can be varied, as may be desired, by changing the spring l8, or else by varying the spring-pressure through an adjustment of the screw 20.

As may be seen from Figs. 8 and 9, the vertical wing 33 of the vise-jaw is relatively narrow in cross-section; so that it can engage and hold very short type-slugs. Where longer type-slugs are to be engaged, it is desirable that a wider gripping surface be employed. Provision can, of course, be made for this in a number of ways, as by providing a detachable head or one that is connected to the vise-jaw in such a manner as to be movable out of the way when very short slugs are to be gripped. In the example shown in the drawings (Figs. 2, 5, and 10), an engaging member 5|] is pivoted at 5| to the front end of the vise-jaw, such engaging member having a relatively wide face 52 which normally lies beside, and in line with, the end of the vise-jaw. In the normal use of the vise, where type-slugs of ordinary length are being gripped, the engaging member remains in the position shown in Fig, 2; so that a wide surface is provided for engaging the slugs. When, however, very short slugs are to be gripped, the engaging member is thrown up- Ward into the position shown in Fig. 10, leaving the narrow end 32 of the vise-jaw as the only part which engages the vise-jaw.

The vise of my invention is exceptionally powerful in its action of gripping the type-slugs, owing to the toggle action of the arm El and link 42. In fact, almost any reasonable gripping force can be obtained, depending upon the strength of the spring I8. In addition, the vise is very rapid in action. All the operator has to do, in gripping the type-slugs, is to pull the vise-jaw into engagement with the slugs and push the handle down. Since there are no delicate parts involved, there is no need for care, no harm resulting if the jaw is pulled forward and locked with considerable roughness. This is a material advantage as providing insurance against the abuses to which devices of this character may be subjected in the course of practical use. The release of the vise is exceptionally rapid, requiring only a push upon the handle from below. The eifect of such a push is that the handle jumps up and the vise-jaw jumps a short distance rearwardly, both of these effects resulting from the action of the spring-pressed pin 48. Thus, by little more than a touch on the underside of the vise-handle, the slugs are released and available for immediate removal.

Other, mechanically equivalent, wedging members can be employed in place of the clutch roller 46. Such are intended to be included with the term clutch-roller, as employed in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a vise for clamping articles against an abutment, a base, a guide bar movable on said base, means urging said guide bar toward said abutment, a slide block movable on said guide bar toward and away from said abutment and provided with a vise jaw cooperating with said abutment, a clutch slide movable on said slide block and having a wedging surface facing a surface of said guide bar, a wedging member disposed between said wedging surface and said guide bar surface and effective on movement of the clutch slide along the slide block in one direction to bind the clutch slide against the guide bar and to free the clutch slide from the guide bar upon movement of the former along the vise jaw in the other direction, an operating handle mounted on said vise jaw, and connection means between said operating handle and said clutch slide.

2. In a vise for clamping articles against an abutment, a base, a guide bar movable on said base, means urging said guide bar toward said abutment, a slide block movable on said guide bar toward and away from said abutment and provided with a vise jaw cooperating with said abutment, a clutch slide movable on said slide block and having a wedging surface facing a surface of said guide bar, a wedging member dis posed between said wedging surface and said uide bar surface and effective on movement of the clutch slide along the slide block in one di rection to bind the clutch slide against the guide bar and to free the clutch slide from the guide bar upon movement of the former on the slide block in the other direction, an operating handle mounted on said vise jaw, a lever movable with said handle, and a link connecting said lever with said clutch slide.

3. In a vise for clamping articles against an abutment, a base, a guide bar movable on said base, means urging said guide bar toward said abutment, a slide block movable on said guide bar toward and away from said abutment and having a vise jaw cooperating with said abutment, a clutch slide movable on said slide block and having a wedging surface facing a surface of said guide bar, a wedging member disposed between said wedging surface and said guide bar surface and effective on movement of the clutch slide away from said abutment to bind the clutch slide against the guide bar and to free the clutch slide from the guide bar upon movement of the former toward said abutment, an operating handle mounted on said vise jaw, a projection extending from said vise jaw and adapted to engage said wedging member, and means connecting said handle and said clutch slide.

4. In a Work holding vise, a relatively fixed abutment, a slide block movable relative to said abutment and provided with a vise jaw cooperating with said abutment, a guide member on which said block is slidable, roller clutch means on said block effective when actuated to grip said member, and means for manually actuating said means, said actuating means being also effective to cause relative movement between said block and said member after causing the clutch means to grip said member.

5. On a vise, a guide bar, a slide block movable therealong, a vise jaw movable with said block, a clutch slide on said block, an inclined surface on said slide, a wedging member adapted to engage said surface and a surface of said bar, and manually operable means for effecting relative movement between said slide and said block, frictionally to bind said slide to said bar and then cause relative movement between the block and the bar.

SAMUEL A. HUFFMAN. 

